He is arguably the most famous documentarian in America, and he could have parlayed that fame into becoming a mogul of documentary filmdom, producing documentaries for multiple TV outlets and even theatrical release. But Ken Burns prefers the cozy environs of PBS, for which he has been producing and directing award-winning documentaries since 1981. What does he get in return for his loyalty to that one, single outlet? For him, it’s the greatest gift of all: Total creative freedom.
He also gets the kind of showcases for his work that other TV producers can only dream about. Burns’ newest documentary -- a six-part, 12-hour-plus epic history of the U.S. national park system, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” -- will premiere Sunday, Sept. 27, and dominate PBS primetime for six consecutive evenings. He talked to The Wrap about why he prefers to keep things small and what’s up next.
“National Parks,” with its placid scenes of great natural beauty, seems to stand in stark contrast to your last documentary series, “The War.” What do they have in common for you?
The commonality is America, the big event. The Second World War and the national park idea -- which has been an evolving one for 150 years -- reveal ourselves to ourselves. But against that backdrop of tranquility and spectacular natural settings is a history -- and I want to emphasize that this is a history, not a travelogue or a nature film.
The commonality is America, the big event. The Second World War and the national park idea -- which has been an evolving one for 150 years -- reveal ourselves to ourselves. But against that backdrop of tranquility and spectacular natural settings is a history -- and I want to emphasize that this is a history, not a travelogue or a nature film.
Most of your other films contain so much conflict...There is unbelievable conflict. The story of how the parks got created is one of unbelievable drama and tension and conflict and incredible diversity of characters. You know, human beings -- Americans in particular -- are acquisitive and extractive beings. They look at a river and think dam. They look at a stand of beautiful trees and think board feet. They look at a canyon and wonder what mineral wealth can be extracted from it.
We tell the story of those people who were able to arrest that tendency, to swim against the tide and to establish these places that would be set aside for the first time in human history. It could only have come from a democratic people trying to figure out how you rule yourself.
It sounds expensive to produce, on a PBS budget.
It’s our most expensive production to date. It’s about $15 million, and there are two incredibly obvious reasons why: We’ve worked on it for 10 years and we’ve been shooting for six and where we’ve been shooting has been from the Gates of the Arctic in northern Alaska to the Dry Tortugas in Florida, from the Hawaii Volcanoes and the National Park of American Samoa in the western Pacific to Acadia, Maine
It’s our most expensive production to date. It’s about $15 million, and there are two incredibly obvious reasons why: We’ve worked on it for 10 years and we’ve been shooting for six and where we’ve been shooting has been from the Gates of the Arctic in northern Alaska to the Dry Tortugas in Florida, from the Hawaii Volcanoes and the National Park of American Samoa in the western Pacific to Acadia, Maine
In some cases, we filmed in places in every season, every time of day and night from every vantage [point]. Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon are seen at every time of day.
